Persona EG LTE | Mythril Moth Creations

Today's Horoscope (Virgo): You will take great strides toward establishing new friendships today. Don't be afraid to speak your mind in awkward social situations.

Early Morning

"Seriously, Rainbow...put on a T-shirt or something before you come downstairs."

It's breakfast time at the dorm again. Again, Rainbow has come downstairs half-awake, rumpled, and in a loose tank top. It's actually worse today than yesterday because she isn't even wearing pajama bottoms, just panties.

Rainbow flips me off. Applejack snickers.

"Really, Flash," Rarity says, "whatever happened to being a gentleman?"

"Sorry, but I'd rather not have to get up and leave the room just because Rainbow can't remember to cover up her tits when she wakes up."

Twilight snorts and covers her mouth. I can't be sure, but I think I almost saw a smile.

Rarity chuckles. "He does have a point, darling," she says. "Like it or not, this is a co-ed dorm now...and really, you've developed some...oh, how can I put this delicately? Fairly deplorable habits about modesty."

"Ooh! Ooh! Remember that day she came to breakfast totally butt naked?" Pinkie says.

Rarity arches an eyebrow at Pinkie. "You're one to talk, you spent a whole day in your underwear."

"It was a bikini!" Pinkie protests.

I think I really, really love this dorm.

Rainbow sighs. "FINE. I'll be more careful about coverin' up from now on." She smirks at me. "Your loss." She pads back upstairs.

After breakfast, I join Twilight as she walks Spike.

"You know, that little scene with Rainbow could've gone really badly for you," Twilight says. "If everyone wasn't so tired of her doing that, they all could've turned on you."

"Yeah, I guess," I say. "I just don't wanna have to worry about...well..."

"Sneaking a peek and getting caught?" Twilight suggests. There's a teasing smile on her face.

"More like being accused of doing that," I mutter. "I've read enough comics where the guy in my situation gets called a pervert by every single girl he knows and goes through hell because of it."

Twilight giggles. "This isn't a comic, Flash. We all know Rainbow has bad habits. It's a miracle my brother hasn't walked in and seen something like that yet."

"You know, this is the longest conversation we've ever had," I say.

Twilight blushes and looks down. "You're the first person who's made a real effort to be friends with me," she says. "Everyone else just...doesn't seem to notice me."

"Maybe you need to make them notice you," I say.

"Maybe..."

Spike pees on my shoe. Twilight gasps. "Bad Spike! No!" She looks mortified. "Oh my gosh...Flash, I'm so sorry!"

I shrug. "At least he didn't hump my leg." I frown and shake my leg. "I'd better go change shoes. Meet you out here to walk to school?"

"Okay."

Lunch

I eat lunch with Twilight and Pinkie again.

"So Flash," Pinkie says, "tomorrow's your birthday. What kind of cake do you want?"

I blink. "How'd you know?"

"Canterbook," Pinkie says.

"Oh, right." I shrug. "Eh, don't worry about it."

Pinkie gasps. "But you've gotta have a birthday party! With cake, and...and fun! And presents! And..."

"Seriously, don't go to any trouble," I say.

"Oh, it's no trouble, silly!"

"A birthday party sounds like fun," Twilight says.

I roll my eyes. "Okay, okay. And it doesn't matter what kind of cake. Surprise me." I have to admit, it'd be nice to have a little birthday party at the dorm.

After School

I run into Twilight on my way out of the school building. "Hey Flash!" she says. "I'm headed to the book store before I go home. You wanna come with me?"

All the books and comics I own are back in Seaddle, and it'd be nice to have something to read, so I join Twilight.

"Come to think of it, you've always got your nose in a book," I say.

"I really love reading."

"What kind of books do you read?"

"Pretty much all kinds," Twilight says. "Reference books, novels, history books, classics...I read at least three books a week."

"Wow." I shake my head. "I read maybe one book every two weeks, if that. Well, and I read a lot of comics. Especially the ones from Neighpon." Twilight laughs.

When we get to the book store, Twilight runs off to a section full of big, thick books. I shake my head and search for the comics and manga section. I spend about half an hour browsing; the latest issues of two or three comics I follow are out, as well as a new volume of a manga I like. I also pick up the first volumes of two more manga I've never read, and a cool-looking graphic novel.

Once I'm done, I look around, but I can't see Twilight anywhere. Wandering around takes me to the store's guide, and something catches my eye.

I remember my recent dreams...

The Velvet Room. Igor. The Fool.

I find the shelves of books related to fortunetelling and such things, and pick up a book about Tarot. I also find several sealed decks of Tarot cards, and on a whim, I grab one.

As I leave that section, I see Twilight standing near the front of the store. She has a truly staggering stack of books in her arms. I walk over to her. "Think you got enough?" I ask.

She grins. "I think I can get by until Labor Day." She studies the comparatively pitiful armful of comics I'm carrying and espies the Tarot deck and book. Her brow wrinkles. "Tarot?"

"Something happened the other day...before I got here...that got me interested. I thought I'd do a little research..."

Twilight snorts. "Fortune-telling is pure nonsense. Cards are cards, stars are stars, horoscopes are silly nonsense..."

"Well, it doesn't hurt to read about it, even if it is nonsense."

Twilight's nose crinkles cutely, and she looks like she's about to retort, but instead, she shrugs. We head to the counter. The clerk here apparently knows Twilight very well, because she greets her warmly. We each pay for our books, then head back to the dorm. I offer to carry her books, which turn out to be insanely heavy. She seems embarrassed about it, because she winds up carrying mine.

When we get back to the dorm, Pinkie and Rarity are in the lounge. Rarity is reading a fashion magazine, and Pinkie is watching a silly cartoon while writing something in a notebook. They look up as we walk in. Pinkie gets this sly grin on her face. "Were you two on a daaaaaaate?" she asks.

Twilight turns red. "N-no! Of course not! We just went to the bookstore!"

"Together," Rarity observes, a pleased, catlike grin on her face.

Twilight practically throws my books at me, yanks hers out of my hands, and hurries upstairs. There's a bang as her door slams, followed by a startled bark from Spike.

"So innocent. So clueless. So sad." Rarity shakes her head. "Good luck, Flash."

I hang my head as I trudge up to my room.

Evening

I decide to do the small amount of homework I have and read one of my new comics, then spend the rest of the evening in the lounge. I take my guitar, my Tarot book, and the Tarot deck with me.

Pinkie is still there, engrossed in her phone. Rainbow is in one of the recliners, her computer in her lap, watching television. None of the others are around. I sit down on the sofa, lay my book and Tarot deck on the living room table, unpack my guitar, tune it, and start strumming aimlessly.

"Play 'Escalator to Elysium'," Rainbow says absently.

"Not on this old thing," I say. With a smirk, I strum the opening riff to "Opium".

Rainbow raises an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

"Well, I am from Seaddle."

I don't know how long I sit there, strumming bits and pieces of various grunge songs on my beat-up old acoustic guitar. At some point, Fluttershy has turned up, and is sitting and listening. Applejack wanders through, sits for a bit, then leaves to do whatever it is she does. Pinkie also gets up and leaves at some point, and Twilight wanders in and takes her place. I finish up my little session with "Smells Like A Pep Rally", then put my guitar back in its case and stretch.

"You're pretty good at that," Cadance says from just inside the doorway. When exactly she arrived, I'm not sure.

"Thanks."

Cadance looks around. "Where's everybody else?" she asks Twilight.

"Pinkie and Applejack are cooking, Rarity's upstairs."

Cadance nods. "Well, I just wanted to set up a new chore assignment schedule," she says. "Flash needs to pull his weight around here."

"Uhh, yeah," Rainbow says, "I vote for him doing his own laundry, and not doing any of ours."

"I agree," Fluttershy says quietly. "It's...it's embarrassing enough having other girls handle my...umm..." She turns red. "Or...or handling theirs..."

Cadance laughs. "I don't think that'll be a problem." She raises an eyebrow at me. "You're okay with that, right?"

"MORE than okay with that," I answer quickly.

"Actually, I was thinking of having Flash responsible for everything on the third floor, since he's the only one up there, and as far as stuff everyone can do..." She sucks on the inside of her cheek. "Well, adding him to the garbage detail shouldn't be a problem...Flash, do you cook?"

"Not unless you count microwaving frozen foods." I shake my head. "I can help with the cleaning and stuff down here, though."

Cadance nods. "That's fine. Okay, I'll put up the new chore sheets in the morning."

Pinkie suddenly appears out of nowhere. "Ooh! Nurse Cadance! You're coming to the party tomorrow, right?"

Cadance blinks. "What party?"

"Flash's birthday party!" Pinkie says.

"Wait, tomorrow's your birthday?" Rainbow asks. "Crap, dude! You shoulda said somethin'!"

"It's not that big a deal," I say.

"I'll tell everybody about the party at dinner," Pinkie says. "By the way, dinner's almost ready." She disappears as abruptly as she appeared.

"So, Flash, are you settling in alright? Any problems?" Cadance asks.

"I'm good," I say.

"Great! Well...I gotta run. Take care!" Cadance leaves.

Twilight picks up the Tarot deck I bought and unwraps it, flipping through the cards. "I still think you shouldn't waste your time on this silly stuff," she says.

"What's that?" Rainbow asks, leaning in curiously.

"Tarot cards," I say. "I've...taken an interest recently."

Twilight shakes her head as she holds up a card depicting a black-robed skeleton upon a white horse. The top of the card reads XIII. DEATH. "It's stuff like this that scares people into thinking all kinds of bad things are going to happen to them just because some silly old lady in a bunch of shawls with a fake accent goes booga-booga at them." She loses the Death card in the deck, then pulls out another. This one depicts a robed man standing in a garden, clutching a wand or something in his right hand. There's an infinity symbol floating over his head. This card reads I. MAGICIAN.

For a brief moment, the world seems to freeze; the color fades from my surroundings. As Twilight's fingertips touch the Magician card, a ripple of light flows from her fingers across the surface of the card.

Then, she's making some derisive comment about Tarot and losing the card in the deck, and everything's normal.

What the hell just happened? Did I imagine that?

"Flash? You okay dude?" Rainbow asks.

"Huh? Oh, uh...yeah. Yeah." I reach over and take the cards from Twilight, placing them back in their box. "Let me just...take this stuff up to my room. I'll be back in a minute."

Behind me, I hear Rainbow say, "I think you pissed him off, egghead. Maybe you shouldn't shit all over the stuff he's into, y'know?"

I don't hear Twilight's response. Once I'm in my room, I pull out the Tarot deck and find the card that...

I imagined that. Surely I imagined that.

I toss the deck carelessly on the bed. As it lands, a card slides out of the deck. It may not look the same, but the image is familiar. A man in simple clothes, his belongings slung over his shoulder, a dog at his heels.

0. THE FOOL

I shudder and head downstairs. Everyone's already heading into the dining room. I bump into Twilight at the dining room door, and she looks away sheepishly. "I'm sorry," she says.

"No, it's alright," I say. "You're right...the whole Tarot thing is pretty silly."

Pinkie and Applejack have put together a nice dinner spread. Everything looks pretty healthy and tasty. As we all sit down, Pinkie announces that tomorrow is my birthday and she'll be throwing a party. Conversation over dinner turns to school, classes, teachers, and such. I feel like I'm starting to get to know these girls a little better.

After dinner, I go back to my room to read some of my new comics and watch a little television. I decide to leave the Tarot stuff alone for now.